The thing I hate about cooking is...

As for things I hate in cooking? I have to really, really want to fry something to use my deep fryer or really, really want to grind a large quantity in the meat grinder before I embark on those preparations. In both cases, it's mostly because of the cleanup involved.

Unlike most things in cooking, there's no quick rinse in the sink and into the dishwasher when it comes to cleaning the deep fryer or the meat grinder:
  • Using the deep fryer means that you need to wait a long time - hours - to let the oil cool so you can dispose of it. Then, I have to decide if it's worth straining and reusing, which involves a cheesecloth and a funnel. If I need to dispose of it, I need to fully let it cool so it doesn't melt the plastic container. Then, each component needs to be cleaned, some by hand (obviously, electric components require extreme care).
  • Besides all the raw meat in the meat grinder, it's important to clean the outside if the meat grinder as well as anything that's in the general vicinity, including the counter, cabinets, etc. This is for sanitary reasons. Most of the components do go into the dishwasher, but I always do a pre-wash first to get the larger bits of ground meat off of them.
  • Grinding meat also requires that the meat be at least partly frozen first, to promote the best quality grind. This means cutting and seasoning the meat before-hand, freezing it, and then transferring it to the refrigerator an hour or so before the grind so it's softened somewhat. The components of the grinder also need to be cold, so I've gotten in the habit of leaving them in the freezer. In the early days, there was more than once where I had everything else ready to go, but the components were room temperature. So, I had to wait until they were cold enough.
I've gotten very efficient over the years with my cleanup, but it's still something I do only after I've gotten everything planned out.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
Using the deep fryer means that you need to wait a long time - hours - to let the oil cool so you can dispose of it. Then, I have to decide if it's worth straining and reusing, which involves a cheesecloth and a funnel. If I need to dispose of it, I need to fully let it cool so it doesn't melt the plastic container. Then, each component needs to be cleaned, some by hand (obviously, electric components require extreme care).
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OK - I'm not going to buy that deep-fat frier I had my eye on. I'll stick to using a stainless steel saucepan on the occasions I deep fry!
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
Besides all the raw meat in the meat grinder, it's important to clean the outside if the meat grinder as well as anything that's in the general vicinity, including the counter, cabinets, etc. This is for sanitary reasons. Most of the components do go into the dishwasher, but I always do a pre-wash first to get the larger bits of ground meat off of them.
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And I'm no glad I didn't by that 'as new' condition mincing machine (in UK, grinding is called mincing) which was going for a song at £6 ($8.50) in a charity shop. I hovered over it... went away, came back and then thought - am I really going to use it enough to warrant the lost cupboard space?
 
@The Late Night Gourmet

We rarely fry. Usually it is just breaded shrimp in a minimum amount of oil in the cast iron skillet. When we go to the fishing camp we sometimes deep fry fresh fish. G has a Fry Daddy or something similar.

DITTO on the meat grinder. The one we have is an old commercial type. Very heavy. We use it to make cat food every six weeks or so. It is also used to make venison/pork sausage. Definitely a chore to clean.
 
morning glory said:
OK - I'm not going to buy that deep-fat frier I had my eye on. I'll stick to using a stainless steel saucepan on the occasions I deep fry!
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The deep fryer makes the task of frying so much easier. Most crucially, it maintains the temperature you want, rather than having to use a thermometer clipped to the pan to monitor it and lower or raise the heat as needed. Mine cost about $40, which is a bargain; this is the one I have (though I'd never crowd the basket like this, unless I want everything to stick together):

0040094352005_a1c1_0600.png


I do know people who swear by the oil-in-the-pan method. It certainly does work, but it does require monitoring the temperature as you go.
 
Francesca said:
@Shermie

Ha Ha Ha !!

I almost fell off the chair laughing so hard ..

I run my onions under ice cold water, and I do not tear ..

Have a lovely day ..
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Hah!! it's true. You can actually buy these glasses. Don't know who thought of them.

I had a pair, but lost them during the move to here. My method that I explained above works pretty good for me! :wink:
 
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The Late Night Gourmet said:
The deep fryer makes the task of frying so much easier. Most crucially, it maintains the temperature you want, rather than having to use a thermometer clipped to the pan to monitor it and lower or raise the heat as needed. Mine cost about $40, which is a bargain; this is the one I have (though I'd never crowd the basket like this, unless I want everything to stick together):

0040094352005_a1c1_0600.png


I do know people who swear by the oil-in-the-pan method. It certainly does work, but it does require monitoring the temperature as you go.
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Presto Big Kitchen Kettle_.jpg


I think that pic of your deep fryer with all that chicken in it is just for show purposes. I don't think that anyone has ever cooked that much at one given time in one cooking cycle.

Mine is the one above. I've fried chicken in it and it came out golden brown, juicy &delicious!! :wink:
 
ElizabethB said:
When I need a fried chicken fix I run to Popeye's or Raising Cain's. Both just down the road. :laugh: Not worth the mess for the two of us.
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But doing it yourself is better. You control the seasonings, especially the salt content!

The thing is with fried chicken at places like KFC, Crown & others is that they use too much salt during the brining / seasoning process, and so, the meat is overly salted. I can't have all that salt like that. I don't eat it often or all the time, but I DO get a taste for some fried chicken now & then. :wink:
 
I don't eat KFC. Popeye's is a little salty but I am often heavy handed with salt. Raising Cain's is perfection. I can not remember the last time I fried chicken. :hyper:

That could cost me my status as a "Southerner"
 
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morning glory said:
In my case, I hate chopping onions. Its nothing to do with the fact they can make you cry. A good cry can be quite therapeutic. I just hate the fact I have to chop onions so often. So many recipes call for chopped onions! Boring...
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I don't hate chopping onions or peppers. I just do it and I do it frequently. I use onions and peppers a lot.

What I chiefly hate about cooking is going out to the market and not finding what I went looking for.

I also hate having veggies and fruit go bad quickly in the regurgitator (refrigerator). :laugh:
 
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